The Senate advanced the annual defense policy bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on Monday, teeing up final passage later in the week.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2026 is one of the must-pass legislative packages that Congress deals with on an annual basis, and it unlocked billions of dollars in funding for the Pentagon and several other defense-related items.

Lawmakers pushed the colossal authorization package through a key procedural hurdle on a 76-20 vote. Senators will get their chance to tweak the package with several amendment votes in the coming days.

The roughly $901 billion package, which is about $8 billion over what President Donald Trump requested earlier this year, typically acts as a bookend for Congress, capping off the year as one of the few must-pass items on the docket. And, given that there is no government funding deadline to contend with, the NDAA is getting primetime treatment in the Senate.

Still, there are myriad items that lawmakers hope to tackle before leaving until the new year, including a fix to expiring Obamacare subsidies, confirming nearly 100 of Trump’s nominees, and a potential five-bill funding package that, if passed, would go a long way toward warding off the specter of another government shutdown come Jan. 30.

Scattered throughout the colossal package’s roughly 3,000 pages are several provisions dealing with decades-old war authorities, strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, Ukraine, lifting sanctions, and Washington, D.C.’s, airspace.

This year’s NDAA would scrap the 1991 and 2002 authorizations of use of military force (AUMFs) for the Gulf War and Iraq War, respectively. Lawmakers have found rare bipartisan middle ground in their desire to nix the AUMFs, which have been used by previous administrations to engage in conflicts in the Middle East for decades.

Then there is a policy that includes several requirements to fulfill the Pentagon’s travel budget, one of which would force the agency to hand over all unedited footage from the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats.

It’s a pointed provision that underscores the bipartisan concern from Congress over the administration’s handling of the strikes, particularly in the wake of a double-tap strike on Sept. 2 that has seen several lawmakers demand more transparency and access to the footage.

There is also a provision that has stirred up controversy among Senate Republicans and Democrats alike that would roll back some safety standards in the Washington, D.C., airspace. It comes on the heels of the collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this year.

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top ranking Democrat on the panel, are pushing to have the provision stripped with their own amendment, which would codify the safety tweaks made after the midair collision.

Cruz said alongside family members of the victims of the crash, which killed 67, that the provision didn’t go through the ordinary clearances.’ 

‘Normally, when you’re adding a provision to the NDAA that impacts aviation, you would request clearance from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee,’ Cruz said. ‘No clearance was requested. We discovered this provision when the final version of the bill dropped out of the House and it was passed.’

There are also several provisions that deal with Ukraine, including an extension of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which would authorize $400 million each year to buy weapons from U.S. defense companies.

There’s a provision that would prevent the U.S. from quietly cutting off intelligence support to the country by requiring at least 48-hours notice detailing why, how long it would last and the impact on Ukraine.

There’s also a provision that would beef up reporting requirements for all foreign aid flowing to Ukraine from the U.S. and other allies supporting the country in its conflict with Russia.

The commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of operations includes the Caribbean waters where the strikes against the alleged drug boats have been conducted, retired Friday as scrutiny surrounding the attacks mounts. 

Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became the head of Southern Command in November 2024, announced suddenly in October that he would retire from the military as operations heated up in the region that the administration claims is part of President Donald Trump’s crusade against the influx of drugs into the U.S.  

The Trump administration designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February, and bolstered its naval assets in the region in recent months under Holsey’s leadership — including signing off on the unprecedented step of sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the region.

‘We have worked hard and tirelessly to build relationships and understand requirements across the region,’ Holsey said during the retirement ceremony, according to a news release. ‘To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged.’

Holsey commissioned in 1988, and flew both SH-2F Seasprite and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters. Holsey’s previous assignments include serving as the deputy commander of Southern Command, as well as deputy chief of Naval personnel and the commander of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson’s carrier strike group.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus also took over the reins from Holsey Friday, after previously serving as the command’s military deputy commander. His experience includes more than 2,700 hours as a pilot in the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Fighter jet and the A-10 ‘Warthog’ aircraft, has participated in combat missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve, among others. 

Holsey’s retirement less than a year into his tenure leading the combatant command is highly unusual. In comparison, former SOUTHCOM commander, Army Gen. Laura Richardson, served in the role from 2021 to 2024.

Holsey did not give a reason for his departure in October, and didn’t share any additional details Friday. 

However, Holsey had raised ‘concerns’ about the strikes, attracting the ire of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, The New York Times reported. Hegseth already believed that Holsey wasn’t cracking down on the alleged drug traffickers more aggressively, and Holsey’s concerns prompted the relationship between the two leaders to unravel even further, the Times said. 

As a result, Hegseth pressured Holsey to step down, according to the Times. 

The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s original post on social media in October after news of Holsey’s retirement broke, where the secretary of war thanked Holsey for his service. 

‘The Department thanks Admiral Holsey for his decades of service to our country, and we wish him and his family continued success and fulfillment in the years ahead,’ Hegseth said in the post. 

Meanwhile, the strikes have attracted increased scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. While some lawmakers have always challenged the legality of the strikes — particularly after revelations in recent weeks that a second strike was conducted against a vessel after the first one left survivors in September — the Trump administration has routinely stated it has the authority to conduct those attacks. 

For example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution on Dec. 3 to bar Trump from using U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela.

In total, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters since September targeting alleged drug smugglers in an effort to combat the flow of drugs into the U.S. Additionally, Trump has signaled for months that strikes on land could be next, and the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. 

‘We’re knocking out drug boats right now at a level that we haven’t seen,’ Trump said Dec. 3. ‘Very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too.’

Real America’s Voice chief White House correspondent Brian Glenn and outgoing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia revealed that they are engaged.

‘She said ‘yes’’ Glenn wrote in a post on X, adding the ring emoji while sharing a photo of himself with the congresswoman.

Greene shared Glenn’s post and wrote, ‘Happily ever after!!!’ along with a red heart emoji. ‘I love you @brianglenntv!!!’ she added.

‘Congratulations!’ Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio replied to both of the posts.

GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee shared Glenn’s post and wrote, ‘Congratulations! I can perform the ceremony in Tennessee for free.’

After President Donald Trump trashed Greene on Truth Social last month and suggested he would back a primary challenger, the lawmaker announced that she would resign from office, noting that her last day will be January 5.

Greene, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2021, will be leaving office in the middle of her third term.

After the U.S. seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil, the shadowy fleet of ‘ghost ships’ used to evade sanctions drifted squarely into President Donald Trump’s crosshairs.

On Dec. 10, Trump announced the seizure of the ‘Skipper,’ a vessel that secretly ferries oil in defiance of sanctions. 

The broader fleet, a clandestine armada of roughly 1,000 tankers, quietly navigates global sea routes to move oil from sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

The so-called ‘ghost ships’ sail under foreign flags to obscure their origins, repeatedly change names, shift ownership through shell companies, disable transponders to evade tracking and conduct mid-sea transfers to mask their cargo.

The result is a labyrinthine system of handoffs and disguised voyages.

Benjamin Jensen, who heads the Futures Lab at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the challenge extends well beyond Venezuela.

‘I do think it’s time that the United States and other countries start to address what really is a global problem,’ explained Benjamin Jensen, director of the Futures Lab at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Jensen said the seizure sends a shock not just to Caracas but to other actors as well. 

‘What we don’t know is how they’re following that up behind the scenes,’ he said, adding that further seizures under Trump are possible.

With Venezuela’s economy tethered almost entirely to oil revenue, he noted that even a single interdiction can have an outsized impact. 

‘Anything you do that puts pressure on their ability to bypass sanctions and trade in oil is a direct threat to the economy and, by extension, the regime,’ he said. 

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has signaled that the seizure of the ‘Skipper’ is only the opening salvo in a new effort to cut off the oil revenues that keep Moscow, Tehran and Caracas afloat.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the vessel is ‘undergoing a forfeiture process.’

‘Right now, the United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground, on the vessel and individuals on board the vessel are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized,’ Leavitt said, adding that the U.S. will take hold of the oil after the legal process is completed.

The move comes as China continues to be the leading importer of Iranian oil and the second-largest buyer of Russian crude, much of it routed through a growing fleet of nondescript tankers evading U.S. sanctions.

Earlier this year, the 19-year-old crude oil tanker named ‘Eventin’ was seized by German authorities after the ship suffered engine failure in the Baltic Sea. The vessel was previously identified as a ship that exports Russian crude oil and other petroleum products.

German authorities discovered that the Panama-flagged vessel, which was previously named Charvi and Storviken, was carrying 99,000 tons, or approximately $45 million worth, of Russian oil.

Tensions are boiling within the House GOP as lawmakers are set to begin their final legislative week of 2025.

More than a dozen House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital over the last week gave different answers on where tensions lie, with frustrations directed toward Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the White House, their Senate counterparts and even each other.

Most of the issues they discussed were varied as well, but several people acknowledged concerns over whether there could be any defining legislative issues Republicans could coalesce around in 2026 to follow up on their signature achievement with the ‘one big, beautiful bill’ last summer.

‘Right now, we don’t have a focused agenda that we’re moving towards like we did with the one big, beautiful bill,’ one House GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. ‘That brought all of our energy together in a focused manner.’

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said he was not frustrated with any one leader in Congress specifically, but lamented that the institution did not better allow House Republicans to tackle the issues in front of them.

‘The problem is, because of the nature of the beast, we’re always fighting against the next big emergency, right? So, instead of being proactive and doing good solutions — I mean, healthcare. Healthcare has been the number one expense for families for a decade,’ McCormick said.

He said Republicans ‘did nothing’ on healthcare when they first came to power earlier this year and were now left ‘in this position’ where they were scrambling for a solution to the looming health insurance premium hikes early next year.

House Republicans unveiled a bill aimed at lowering healthcare costs on Friday evening, but it’s unclear as of now if it has enough support to pass.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital broadly, ‘I’m always gonna want to see more action. My job isn’t to come here and be satisfied.’

But he said of House GOP leadership, ‘When you’re in charge you get more blame and more praise than you probably deserve, but it’s gonna take the whole conference to come together, remembering what brought us here.’

Still, a fair share of GOP lawmakers have directed their anger at Johnson in recent weeks.

‘I think there’s a lot of concerns about the way things have been handled the last several months, starting with leadership, let this redistricting war break out, which is gonna upend the districts of dozens of our members. And then the fact we just weren’t here for two months,’ Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. ‘And then the way that the House is really not in the driver’s seat on a lot of the key issues around here — I think all of that is pretty frustrating to a swath of the conference.’

Others are frustrated at Johnson over more personal issues. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital she believed Johnson was blocking her efforts to build a National Women’s Museum, an effort she said had President Donald Trump’s support.

‘It’s been stalled by the speaker, in committee, despite having 165 sponsors from both parties,’ Malliotakis said.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., meanwhile, was angered last week by the way Johnson handled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

‘We’re getting shoved, and we just have to eat it, or, you know, vote against increasing pay to our military service members. It’s a very unfortunate situation to be in, that the speaker keeps putting us in,’ Steube said. ‘I think getting Trump’s signature piece of legislation through is excellent, and everybody should be commended for that, because that was just a huge accomplishment, and it’ll do great things for the country next year. Now that we’ve gotten over that … now you’re kind of, like, what can we do next?’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has notably been one of Johnson’s loudest critics and recently become a political enemy of Trump’s as well.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who Johnson promoted to House GOP leadership chairwoman after the White House took her out of the running for ambassador to the United Nations, publicly accused Johnson of kowtowing to Democrats over a provision in the NDAA before walking the anger back when she won that battle.

And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recently wrote a scathing op-ed in The New York Times, where she wrote, ‘Here’s a hard truth Republicans don’t want to hear: Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century.’

‘Speaker Mike Johnson is better than his predecessor. But the frustrations of being a rank-and-file House member are compounded as certain individuals or groups remain marginalized within the party, getting little say,’ Mace wrote.

Mace told Fox News Digital she had spoken with Johnson the same week the op-ed was published. While she declined to go into detail about their private conversation, Mace said she did not feel heard by the speaker.

A second House Republican who spoke with Fox News Digital anonymously said, when asked if there was wider frustration with Johnson, ‘Yeah, I would say so. Especially rank-and-file people.’

But three others accused those criticizing Johnson publicly of doing so for their own personal gain.

A senior House Republican said those complaining were ‘people whose modus operandi is about showing their opposition for their own purposes.’

A fourth House Republican said, ‘Some people have been frustrated, but we have some people who are in Congress now that care more about their own personal headlines when they’re running for other offices or whatever, so they’re trying to push things out.’

Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., released a public statement supporting Johnson when frustrations first emerged from GOP women earlier this month. 

‘Speaker Mike Johnson has led our House majority with God-given courage, clarity and remarkable patience. Under his leadership, House Republicans are delivering real results and advancing President Trump’s America First agenda every single day,’ she said.

The fourth unnamed House Republican conceded, however, that there were frustrations at fellow Republicans in the White House.

‘I believe we’re aligned as far as intentions, but you know, sometimes we’ve got to do our job, and we want participation, but we don’t want to be told what to do,’ they said. ‘It’s always great to have an interplay between [Congress and the White House].’

The first House Republican noted in this story also said there was ‘definitely’ angst over how the White House has treated Congress’ role as a co-equal branch.

On the intra-GOP tensions targeting Johnson, however, they said, ‘I think these are natural ebbs and flows … I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.’

Another Republican, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said his frustrations lie with the Senate as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

‘We move very fast in the House, and we’ve been ready to keep moving. We just can’t move without the Senate,’ Amodei said.

He said he was satisfied with the House’s work this year, but ‘you can’t do anything without bicameral action. And that right now is a challenge.’

A fifth House Republican agreed that a number of House GOP achievements have stopped ‘at the foot of the Senate, where they need 60 votes.’

The House alone has moved significant amounts of Trump’s agenda this year, however. House Republicans voted to codify roughly 100 of his executive orders so far, more than 60% of the total executive orders former President Joe Biden introduced during his entire term.

The Trump administration argued in a court filing on Monday that pausing construction on the new White House ballroom would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet ‘safety and security requirements’ needed to protect the president. 

The declaration says the White House’s East Wing, demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work, cannot be left unfinished without compromising essential security measures.

‘Accordingly, any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission,’ reads the filing in part.

The government’s memorandum was in response to a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that says it advocates for preserving historic sites of national importance and protecting the public’s role in that process.

The National Trust lawsuit targets key government officials responsible for overseeing the White House grounds and the agencies managing the construction project, including the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior.

It argues that pausing the Trump administration’s ballroom project is essential to prevent irreversible changes while the required oversight and public involvement procedures are carried out.

‘Submitting the project to the National Capital Planning Commission for review protects the iconic historic features of the White House campus as it evolves. Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a government of the people, by the people, for the people,’ said Carol Quillen, the president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The White House announced President Donald Trump’s plans in July to move forward with a 90,000-square-foot state ballroom that would cost an estimated $200 million. That figure has now risen to at least $300 million, and while the project is backed by some private donors, Trump has also insisted it will be funded ‘100% by me and some friends of mine.’

In its filing, the administration emphasized that key regulatory reviews are forthcoming, saying it plans to submit draft architectural drawings and materials to the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in the coming weeks. 

The government argued the lawsuit is premature because above-grade construction is not scheduled to begin until April 2026.

The National Trust, however, counters that the scale of the project makes early intervention necessary. In its lawsuit, the group argues that the 90,000-square-foot addition would dwarf the Executive Residence and permanently upset the classical balance of the White House’s design. 

The complaint also cites an October statement from the Society of Architectural Historians, which warned that the proposed ballroom would represent the most significant exterior change to the building in more than 80 years.

Real America’s Voice chief White House correspondent Brian Glenn and outgoing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia revealed that they are engaged.

‘She said ‘yes’’ Glenn wrote in a post on X, adding the ring emoji while sharing a photo of himself with the congresswoman.

Greene shared Glenn’s post and wrote, ‘Happily ever after!!!’ along with a red heart emoji. ‘I love you @brianglenntv!!!’ she added.

‘Congratulations!’ Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio replied to both of the posts.

GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee shared Glenn’s post and wrote, ‘Congratulations! I can perform the ceremony in Tennessee for free.’

After President Donald Trump trashed Greene on Truth Social last month and suggested he would back a primary challenger, the lawmaker announced that she would resign from office, noting that her last day will be January 5.

Greene, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2021, will be leaving office in the middle of her third term.